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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Looks like Spring Asparagus Tart

My friend and financial advisor helps me do my taxes every year and to thank her I try and cook her a nice meal when she comes over to work on my tax return. This year I made something different and something I have never made before but I decided to make it because I wanted to make something vegetable based and I felt like making a savoury tart.

I made a leek, asparagus and goat cheese tart. It looked, and tasted like spring. It was kind of like a cross between a quiche and a tart.

I first (blind baked) meaning I baked the tart crust in the oven using beans to keep it flattened instead of puffing up. I cooked it until lightly browned.

Cut the leeks into half moon slices and clean well. Saute the leeks with the diced shallots slowly in a medium to low heat pan in the olive oil and butter mix and seasoning with salt and pepper. You can add parsley or other seasonings to this mix if you like. Cook until translucent and softened.

Blanch the asparagus in boiling water until bright green and then shock them in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Let the leeks, asparagus and the puff pastry cool before assembling.

Make sure you have a border crust on your puff pastry so that the egg mixture doesn't leak out.

Mix the leeks and shallot mixture into the 4 beaten eggs and pour onto the puff pastry crust. Arrange the asparagus tips around the tart and put small spoonfuls of the goat cheese on top of the asparagus around the tart. Grate parmesan cheese over the whole tart.

Bake in a 400degree oven for about 20-25 min or until the eggs are cooked and it is slightly browned.

I used a removable bottom flan pan but it would be nicer in a rectangular pan.

My friend loved it so much that she took a piece home for her boyfriend. So I guess I will make this recipe again. It would be a nice brunch recipe but i could see it being great for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It was fairly easy to prepare using already rolled out puff pastry and it looks impressive if you assemble it well. I think food stylists would like this one.